Arrow
by DigiExpert
Summary: It was an accident of sorts, but eternal maidens didn't die so easily, right? Right? Aaeru wasn't sure, and it'd all happened so fast. It couldn't be true, could it?


**I've been taking requests for things, and this one wasn't a request, but rather, me wanting to be rotten again. I'm doing a spoof fic next, which was also a request made of me. It should be an amusing idea. I will say that this fic is the complete opposite of the one request. It's Aaeru/Neviril and it is kinda sweet, but the idea for it was this: **

***image plays in head***  
**Me: Wait! That's a good idea. I wanna almost kill Neviril! Fic time!**

"Neviril? Neviril!"

The voice was so familiar to her. She turned her head, looking up, but everything was a blur to her. Her body throbbed, and her right arm throbbed the most. Something was wrong, but she couldn't say what. What was that sound in the distance? It was loud, cacophonous, and pierced her ears. _Stop stop stop stop…._ Black unconsciousness slipped up to greet her and she welcomed it. Delicious…

Tears streamed down Aaeru's face. She'd watched as Neviril had slipped off into unconciousness, yet she wasn't sure if it was really that or if Neviril was dead. You couldn't die so easily if you were an eternal maiden, right? It wasn't possibly. Couldn't be… She couldn't think straight. All she remembered was the two of them walking together through the forest, exploring the early land of land of Simulacrum. Cabins were in the distance, but they'd not made it that far yet so she wasn't sure where they were. All she knew was the suns in the sky reflected Simulacrum. Aaeru looked down at Neviril's arm and stomach, where two arrows protruded. She wasn't sure what to do or how, but they'd flown through the trees and nabbed her. Whoever had shot them had run off.

A stirring nearby caused Aaeru's head to shoot up. "Who's there?" she cried.

"Aaeru?" called the voice. "And…Neviril!"

"Amuria?" The girl standing before her was older than the last time they'd spoken. Her hair had grown, and was pulled back into a low ponytail. She wore a long navy dress and tan boots.

Without another word, Amuria fell by Aaeru's side. She quickly began checking over Neviril, and Aaeru watched, dumbfounded. Amuria's hand gently caressed Neviril's cheek. "We have to take care of her now. How did this happen?"

Aaeru shook her head. "I don't know. It just…out of nowhere…she…" She couldn't go any further, choking up again.

"Help me carry her. Be careful, all right? I can get the doctor."

"R-right," agreed Aaeru.

Between the two of them, they managed to get Neviril to Amuria's cabin, which appeared more weathered than the last time they'd visited. Inside hadn't changed as much, Aaeru noted as they guided Neviril to the spare room. Carefully, they laid her in the bed and Aaeru noted she didn't stir. She sat on the side of the bed, stroking Neviril's hand gently, still in shock.

"I'll be back soon," whispered Amuria, but Aaeru didn't hear her. She broke down once more, sobbing.

It wasn't long before the doctor arrived, a middle aged man with a warm smile. Amuria guided him to the room, where Aaeru was still sobbing, but not as heavily as before. "If you'll leave the room miss, I'll take care of your friend," he stated softly, giving her a gentle smile.

"N-no. I'm not going to leave," cried Aaeru. She clenched her fists together weakly.

The doctor looked to Amuria, who nodded to him. She walked over and placed her hands on Aaeru's shoulders. "Come on," she whispered. "He'll take care of Neviril for you."

"N-no," replied Aaeru, but she still rose from the bed dejectedly.

"Come on… I'll make some tea while we wait."

"You'll be able to see your friend as soon as I'm finished," promised the doctor.

Aaeru sat at the table, head resting on top of her arms. She sniffed every so often, eyes focused on the far wall. Amuria stood near the cooking fire, boiling a kettle of water. As it boiled, she poured it into two mugs and mixed it with the contents. She set one mug in front of Aaeru and took a seat across from her. For a moment, she studied the girl, who hadn't changed in the least since they'd last met. She, on the other hand, had grown some. There hadn't seemed to be a Spring here in this time, and so she'd only aged so much. Near five years had passed since she'd seen the two eternal maidens. She had never expected to come across them again.

Sipping her tea, she watched Aaeru more closely. She wondered how much time it had been for them. Had it been five years as well, or had much less time passed? The two were eternal maidens, free to fly where they pleased. Were they capable of controlling where they ended up? Or had Tempus Spatium placed them here once more? She noticed Aaeru hadn't touched her tea. "It's not as soothing once it's cold," she remarked.

"I don't want any tea. I want Neviril."

"She'll be fine soon. The doctor knows what he's doing. Drink your tea. It'll make you feel better, and Neviril would want that, wouldn't she?"

"Yes," was the reply after a few moments of hesitation. Aaeru pulled the mug to her, sipping from it as she held the mug with both hands. She looked at Amuria. "You're older," she stated matter o' factly.

"It's been almost five years since I've seen you," explained Amuria. "I've grown a bit older."

"But there's not a Spring here is there? What about all those males?"

"I don't think there's a Spring here, no. People in this time still have male and female children."

"There are other places like that too," mentioned Aaeru, sipping again. "I don't think we've seen any other place like the Simulacrum we came from. It's weird."

"Maybe Simulacrum was weird?" Amuria threw out as she drained the last of the tea in her mug.

"Nah, we're not," replied Aaeru grinning, the first grin she'd given since arriving.

The door to the guest room opened behind them and the doctor exited, pulling the door closed behind him. Aaeru grew quiet again at seeing him and looked down at her mug.

"I've taken care of your friend. The arrows weren't hard to remove, and they appear to have missed the vital organs. I treated the wounds and bandaged her up. You'll have to change the bandages every few hours, and she'll need to stay in bed for some time." He looked at the two women, though one looked to be a mere child to him. "And you may go see her now. Please be careful. Is there someplace I can wash up?"

Aaeru didn't wait to hear Amuria's response. She rushed toward the bedroom door, stopping suddenly just outside of it. Her hand rested on the knob, but she didn't turn it just yet, wondering what she'd find behind the door. Neviril was okay the doctor had said. She didn't know if she believed him. Well, only one way to find out. She turned the knob and pushed the door open slowly.

She froze when she saw Neviril, covered partially by a white sheet. She'd been stripped down to her undergarments, and Aaeru could see the start of the bandages on both her arm and stomach. Hesitantly, she began to walk across the room, her footfalls touching the ground lightly. Part of her was afraid to touch Neviril, while part of her wanted nothing more than to be at her side. She sat down gently on the edge of the bed, watching Neviril. She seemed to be resting easy, and Aaeru wondered if she felt any pain now. Her eyes glanced around the room, and she saw the discarded arrows, still coated in blood. Neviril's blood. The thought made her stomach churn and she forced herself to look away so that she wouldn't be sick.

The black pool she'd drifted off into seemed to be lighter. She felt herself floating upward, encased in the warmth it provided her body. As her hand slipped out of the pool, she shivered; she didn't want to leave, not yet. She tried to stay inside and keep her body from rising any further, but she had no control. She felt herself stirring and tried to open her eyes, finding the brightness too much. She squeezed them shut again, not wanting to face such harshness.

Aaeru noticed Neviril seemed to be stirring. She looked more closely. "Neviril?" she whispered. "Are you awake?"

The voice was so familiar, so comforting. She chanced opening her eyes again. This time, the light wasn't as harsh, though it still made her squint. She tried to bring the blurred image into focus.

Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the bright blue of those eyes. She began to breathe easier. "Neviril! You are awake!" she exclaimed happily.

"Aaeru…" murmured Neviril, giving a small smile as the rest of Aaeru's image came into focus. "What's…where am I?" She tried to sit up.

Scared, Aaeru held her in place. "No you can't! You're hurt!"

Neviril stopped struggling. "I am? How?..." She tried to remember what had happened, but drew a blank.

"Someone shot you with arrows. They got your arm and near your stomach. The doctor got 'em out, but he said you can't move for awhile."

"Oh…" Neviril was quiet for a few moments, trying to process the information. She looked up at Aaeru, and noticed the fear and nervousness that were easily readable on the girl's face. She reached for Aaeru's hand, and gripped it lightly in her own. "Are you all right?"

"No… yes… maybe…It hurts," whispered Aaeru.

"What does?"

"My heart does. I thought you were… dead." She forced herself to choke out the word before breaking down once more as she remembered how Neviril had looked lying there.

It hurt Neviril to look at Aaeru so emotionally vulnerable. "Aaeru? Come lay with me."

"But your injuries…"

"Are only on one side. We can be careful. I want to hold you."

Aaeru sniffled and nodded. She slowly laid down, resting her head in the crook of Neviril's left arm. Neviril wrapped that arm around her, wishing she could use her other arm as well. She kissed the top of Aaeru's head. "Don't be afraid… I'll be all right."

"Right," answered Aaeru, trying to smile as a few more tears squeezed past her eyes.

Neviril kissed the top of Aaeru's head, and then began to sing softly to Aaeru. She sang the lullaby that had calmed her down as a child, the same one Rodoreamon had sang on the Arcus Prima. She watched as Aaeru began to drift off to sleep, fighting it until the very end. She kissed Aaeru's head again, smiling.

The door knob turned again, and Neviril was surprised to see Amuria walk inside. At least, it looked like Amuria. "Amuria?" she asked softly.

Amuria smiled. "Neviril. It's been a long time."

"How long? I didn't think there was a Spring here."

"There's not. I just grew a bit older and then stopped."

"How long has it been?"

"Nearly five years since you two last flew off. I never expected to see you again." Amuria pulled a chair up to the bed and took a seat.

"It is wonderful to see you. I'm sorry it always has to be with us being in some kind of trouble."

"It was serious this time. Aaeru was scared; I'm sure she thought you were going to die. You suffered some serious injuries. You were shot by two arrows and I'm guessing it may have been an accident."

Neviril looked down at her wounds for the first time. It was no wonder Aaeru had been scared. The bandages were daunting, even to her. She didn't want to imagine what she must have looked like without them. Neviril looked at Aaeru's sleeping form, snuggled into her left side. "I'm sorry for scaring you," she whispered. She looked back to Amuria.

"You'll be here for awhile again. We can catch up later. You should rest for now," she stated as she rose from her chair.

"We don't want to be any—"

Amuria waved off the rest of the statement. "You won't be. She leaned over and kissed the top of Neviril's head.

"Amuria," whispered Neviril, flushing slightly.

Amuria chuckled. "I'm not going to try to take you back, if that's what you're afraid of. You belong with Aaeru, and she belongs with you. I'm no fool, Neviril." Neviril looked embarrassed for even considering the thought. "Don't fret so. Rest."

As the door closed, Neviril sighed. She turned her head towards Aaeru's and closed her eyes. She did feel foolish, but she trusted Amuria, same as she trusted Aaeru. Amuria's words echoed in her mind as she began to drift off again. _You belong with Aaeru and she belongs with you_. Yes, that was the truth. Neviril wouldn't have it any other way.


End file.
